Chapter 59

"Announcement, announcement!" The crowd stared at the tightly closed gates of the examination hall. When the gates opened a crack, an unknown voice shouted.

Instantly, the crowd boiled over, bustling toward the entrance.

First, a line of soldiers emerged from the examination hall to maintain order, then the list that everyone was eagerly awaiting was posted.

Xun Sheng stood at a distance, chatting with two friends.

"Xun, aren't you worried about your place?"

"What's the point of worrying now?" Xun Sheng feigned nonchalance, "With my talent, how could I possibly fail?" Despite his words, his fingers gripping the folding fan turned white, clearly revealing his inner turmoil.

Getting on the list was no problem, but the key was whether he could top it!

Xun Sheng didn't want to join the crowd, so he sent a servant to check his ranking.

"Must be higher than Xun Yi! Must be higher than Xun Yi!" He was nervous, and when his servant returned with a joyful report, Xun Sheng couldn't hold back.

"Congratulations, Master, you are the top scholar in the classics!"

Thud—the folding fan fell to the ground, and Xun Sheng remained silent for a long time.

...

From a high floor of a distant tavern, Xun Yi and Li Xinghong were using a "thousand-mile eye" to observe. The "thousand-mile eye" refers to an ancient observation tube invented by the Mohists.

Li Xinghong squinted one eye and looked through the lens with the other: "According to Uncle, this time the list should be called the 'Golden Yun List.' If Uncle wins the top spot, should we buy some lotus seeds to scatter?"

According to the rules, each generation's top scholar must use osmanthus wine or similar to thank the crowd, scattering osmanthus flowers.

"No need for that. Just tell Tianxiang Tower to prepare lotus cakes and distribute them for free." Xun Yi was very calm, having secretly gone to the library where Lord Lu had already informed him of the results.

So, in front of Li Xinghong, he could still pretend to be confident.

And...

Xun Yi watched with interest as Li Junde prayed for divine protection. "It's quite amusing to see their anxiety and uncertainty!"

When Xun Yi saw Li Junde's name on the list, he noticed Li Junde's nervous appearance and felt a perverse desire to observe others' expressions.

Holding the "thousand-mile eye," Xun Yi didn't look at the list but focused on those who had passed or failed below.

"Joy and sorrow, the myriad facets of life, this cup of the world's wine is the most enduring." He deliberately glanced at Xun Sheng, who looked terrible, making Xun Yi feel very comfortable. "Trying to outsmart me? Silly, isn't it? You set up a trap for yourself, and now how will you explain it to my Uncle?"

"Baishan, Liu Hui, you two go down and deliver the food box I prepared for Master Sheng, and tell him I, his younger brother, congratulate him on becoming the top scholar in the classics."

Baishan and Liu Hui exchanged glances, seeing Xun Yi's smiling face, they knew their master was deliberately trying to upset Xun Sheng.

"Master's old habit is back!" Baishan sighed inwardly and went with Liu Hui to deliver the food box.

As they prepared to leave, they heard Li Junde, who was beside Xun Yi, cheer: "I passed!"

Li Junde was elated, even though he was one of the last few, at least he had made it, and could now use the title of scholar to become an official.

Xun Yi glanced at him and said coolly, "Not many people participated in this special examination for Longchuan. It's a special exam, so only a few people took part. The regular examination will be next year in the autumn."

"Understood, understood." Li Junde was unconcerned, "Anyway, the court said this special exam is concurrent with the regular one. There will be another regular autumn exam next year, and the spring exam the year after. I still have more than a year to prepare, and I can review after graduation."

"At least I got the title of scholar, so I don't have to worry about my mother nagging anymore." Li Junde scanned the list again, seeing that Zhang Yuqi and others had also passed. With Xun Yi's top scholar, the Lingfeng Academy would surely celebrate.

"Hey? Xun Yi, look, isn't that Liu Zhenying!" Li Junde pointed, and Xun Yi quickly used the "thousand-mile eye" to look. He saw Liu Zhenying standing in a light blue robe, watching the list.

Xun Yi instructed Li Xinghong to help distribute the lotus cakes and rushed down to find Liu Zhenying.

"You finally came back!" Xun Yi patted Liu Zhenying on the shoulder, suddenly feeling a chill.

"Yes, you worried us a lot!" Li Junde came over and punched Liu Zhenying.

Liu Zhenying turned his head, the chill disappeared, and he smiled, chatting with his two childhood friends.

Then, the three went to a secluded place, and Xun Yi whispered, "Do you know what's happening at home?"

"Uh-huh." Liu Zhenying's face showed a hint of sorrow. During this time, he had been taught dark arts by a blood-faced man. Seeing his progress, the man allowed him to return to Qinglong City with a mission—to kill the city's guardian and obtain the drop of Xuanhuang blood in the city.

But Liu Zhenying calculated the time and knew today was the announcement day, so he came to check Xun Yi and Li Junde's results.

"Xun Yi making the list is normal, but the top scholar—congratulations." Xun Yi becoming the top scholar surprised Liu Zhenying. He took out something and threw it to Xun Yi: "I don't have much, but this pocket watch is for you."

Xun Yi looked at it and said, "Is this a Bai Rong Western pocket watch?" The back of the watch had a golden phoenix spreading its wings, the totem of Bai Rong.

"Uh-huh, I bought it from a Western merchant recently."

"What! I want one too!" Li Junde saw the golden pocket watch in Xun Yi's hand and immediately raised his hand.

Liu Zhenying spread his hands: "I only prepared one for Xun Yi. I didn't expect you to pass the exam."

"Hey!" Hearing this, Li Junde immediately started to act up: "What do you mean you didn't expect me to pass? Do you think my grades are that bad?"

"Uh-huh, very bad." Xun Yi and Liu Zhenying nodded simultaneously. Liu Zhenying looked serious, "If I didn't know that Governor Li was avoiding suspicion, I would suspect you of cheating."

"Right, maybe it's because Aunt offered incense to Bai Sheng?" Xun Yi added, "It seems Aunt needs to make a wish. For Li Junde to pass, it must have been a big wish."

"Right, even a wish for a child or marriage isn't as big as this." Liu Zhenying and Xun Yi echoed, making Li Junde's face turn red: "You don't understand! This is an exceptional performance! Do you understand exceptional performance?"

"Ha ha..." Liu Zhenying looked up at the sky, and Xun Yi played with the pocket watch, "Perfect, my old pocket watch broke, and I was thinking about buying a new one."

Seeing Xun Yi not responding, Li Junde felt frustrated: "Fine, fine, I won't bother with you two. I'll go find Zhang Yuqi!"

Saying this, he turned and left.

But just as he turned, he bumped into Xun Sheng, who was coming over with a grim face.

"Ouch!" Li Junde's qi circulated, and Xun Sheng's sword intent stirred.

The two collided, instinctively wanting to fight.

"Snap—" Xun Yi closed the pocket watch, and a gentle breeze blew.

Spring river ripples, willows swaying in the wind.

The third move of the Maolin Sword, like a willow in the breeze, separated the two: "Brother Sheng, are you here to congratulate us?"

Xun Sheng's expression changed, finally settling on a smile: "Indeed, it's a great achievement for Li to make the list. And for you and me to top it, it's a great honor for our Xun family. It's a pity our elder brother isn't here; otherwise, we would have taken the top three spots."

Compared to Xun Kun, Xun Sheng was more calculating. Xun Yi was on guard, pretending not to notice, and exchanged a few pleasantries with Xun Sheng.

Xun Sheng smiled and bowed to Li Junde and Liu Zhenying, then left with his people.

Seeing Xun Sheng's smile, Liu Zhenying shook his head: "He's somewhat similar to Xun Yi, but he lacks Xun Yi's sunny disposition."

Especially after Liu Zhenying's cultivation, he could sense the negative emotions in Xun Sheng's heart.

Li Junde sighed, "There's too much conflict in your family. Now that you've become the top scholar, I wonder what they'll think."

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Xun Yi's expression was calm. A mere top scholar wouldn't make his Uncle do much. But in the future, when it comes to inheriting the title, there might be some trouble.

Li Xinghong came over in a hurry, "Uncle, Xun Sheng came? Did he do anything to you?"

Xun Yi heard this and slapped him with a hand: "What Xun Sheng? He's also your uncle!"

"What kind of uncle?" Li Xinghong muttered, glancing at Liu Zhenying and Li Junde, and turned to Xun Yi, "Uncle, now that you've topped the list, I'll celebrate for you when we get home."

Xun Yi nodded and invited Liu Zhenying and Li Junde to his home. Li Xinghong pouted, saying nothing.

Liu Zhenying shook his head, "No, I haven't been home for a long time, I need to tidy up."

"Right, the properties in your family are now with me. Should I transfer them back to you?"

"Keep them for now, I'm too lazy to manage them myself." Liu Zhenying hurriedly left, but his direction was not toward his home in the city, but toward a group of temples on the other side.

Li Junde whispered, "It seems Liu Zhenying has been hit hard this time."

"Uh-huh." Xun Yi kept the pocket watch open, feeling heavy-hearted. As a childhood friend, he could sense Liu Zhenying's abnormality upon his return. Although he seemed no different when interacting with them, Xun Yi felt that Liu Zhenying had changed.

"Will you come to my place tonight?" Xun Yi asked Li Junde.

"No, I passed the exam, and my family will surely celebrate. I'll skip this time." Li Junde saw Li Xinghong clinging to Xun Yi's shoulder, making faces at him, and left first.

Only Xun Yi and Li Xinghong returned home. Li Xinghong hummed a song, completely different from Xun Yi's heavy heart. He thought, "Celebrating with family is enough, why involve outsiders?"

"Too bad Aunt isn't here, otherwise it would be complete." Li Xinghong thought and saw Xun Yi's expression, saying, "Alright, Uncle, if they won't accompany you, I'll stay with you until we're both drunk tonight!"

"Stop it, are you good at drinking? Isn't there a strict rule in your family against drinking?" Xun Yi turned his head, "Be careful, I'll tell your brother."

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